Gecko review

Gecko positions itself as a CRM for student engagement rather than a bolt-on chat widget. Its site says it brings email, text, chat and calls into a single shared inbox, automates routine enquiries and follow-ups, and gives students quick answers day and night with a clear handover to staff. It is designed to sit next to the CRM you already run: the homepage names Slate, Salesforce and Ellucian, or you can manage student data inside Gecko. The vendor cites more than 170 institutions, 14 years in education and over 200 million student interactions, and says it supports prospects in 50+ languages, which suits international recruitment. Teams covered range from admissions and graduate admissions to student services, careers and community colleges. Gecko does not publish prices, and its strength is recruitment and enquiry handling more than deep financial aid content.

Who it is for

Admissions and international recruitment teams that run Slate, Salesforce or Ellucian and want chat and messaging alongside it.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Shared inbox for email, text, chat and calls
• 24/7 AI answers with handover to staff when a human is needed
• Support for prospects in 50+ languages
• Runs alongside Slate, Salesforce or Ellucian, or manages student data itself
• New Student Portal plus events and enquiry workflows

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Focused on student engagement for over 14 years
• Strength: Keeps your existing enterprise CRM in place
• Strength: Hands-on onboarding, on-site training and in-platform support
• Weakness: No published prices
• Weakness: Smaller institution count than Ocelot or Element451
• Weakness: Strongest in recruitment; less depth for financial aid content than Ivy & Ocelot

Key facts

• Institutions: 170+ worldwide
• Student interactions: 200m+, per the vendor
• Offices: UK and US sales and support

Where it ranks

Gecko is No. 4 in our Best Higher Education Chatbots verdict.